The biosphere is the area of Earth which covers all living organisms - animals and bacteria. The biosphere of our planet is the feature distinguishing Earth from other planets in the solar system. Biot means life, and the term the biosphere was at first read by the Russian scientist - Vladimir Vernadsky in the 1920th years of the last century.
The biosphere includes external area of the earth (lithosphere) and lower area of the atmosphere (troposphere). Also it includes the hydrosphere, the area of the lakes, oceans, streams, ice and clouds including water resources of the earth. The biosphere stretches from foundation of oceans to the highest mountain tops. Its layer has the average thickness having about 20 kilometers. Scientists know now that some forms of microbes live in big depths, and sometimes on several thousands of meters take root deep into earth crust. The biosphere is very tiny area on the scale of the whole earth. It can quite be compared to apple peel thickness. These are living organisms from most of which part actually lives in limits of smaller fractions of the biosphere. Their area of dwelling is located from 500 meters below the surface of the ocean and reaches 6 kilometers above sea level! It is only a small part...
Mankind are also a part of the biosphere. Unfortunately, some factors of activity of people make an adverse effect on many ecosystems including on themselves. In the last decades it becomes especially noticeable phenomenon. As a result of deforestation, development of the large cities (megalopolises), distribution of pollutants in the atmosphere, some land and sea representatives of an ecosystem of the biosphere are exposed to total extinction. In addition to the extinction of some types of living organisms which is artificially caused by mankind, people broaden the habitat. Sometimes it is expressed in their negative impact on: lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. Such interaction of living organisms and lifeless matter defines the main ecosystem of our planet. Fortunately, some activists try to interfere with global crisis of an ecological system. As a result the biosphere of Earth continues to exist, though not in original state.